Provincial contains 12 musical vignettes united by a deep sense of place. They are hymns for the departed and rockers for the living, songs about dying villages, Icelandic longing, snowplows, broken glass, satellites, hockey skates, and staff room romances. In creating these sonic portraits, Samson talked to relatives, friends and strangers; he visited archives, a tuberculosis sanatorium turned RV Park and a forgotten cemetery.

The live dates will feature songs from the new album backed by The Provincial Band, comprised of Shotgun Jimmie on guitar (Jimmie will also open the shows), Doug Friesen (Pete Elkas, Bidiniband) on electric and upright bass and Doug MacGregor (Constantines) on drums. Samson will also perform a selection of solo renditions of material spanning his 20 years as a songwriter.